MANILA, 1 November 2007 — Alaska just put Barangay Ginebra into a very unfamiliar position.
Willie Miller scored 35 points and rookie Ariel Capuz shone on the defensive end as the Aces last night posted a 103-92 overtime nipping that put the defending champion Gin Kings in the bottom of the Philippine Cup standings.
The 5-foot-11 Miller, the reigning MVP, tossed in seven of his total in extension, while Capuz, playing in his first PBA game after being plucked out of free agency, put the cuffs on Ginebra spitfire Jay-Jay Helterbrand in the game’s most crucial stretches at the Cuneta Astrodome.
“You guys would want to write about how good Willie was tonight offensively,” said Alaska coach Tim Cone. “But don’t forget that it was really Ariel who was our hero in this game. He just played great defensively.” From a 0-2 start, the Aces levelled their record to 2-2 while dealing the Kings a third straight loss in four games to be alone in the cellar.
Ginebra, which used just 10 players, was still without superstars Eric Menk and Mark Caguioa, who are recovering from different illnesses.
Mike Cortez hit a game-tying triple with 5.6 seconds left in regulation for 89-all, and the Kings were never the same in overtime with Helterbrand failing to get going as a result of Capuz’ pesky defense.
Helterbrand still went on to lead the Kings with 18 points and Ronald Tubid, Billy Mamaril and Sunday Salvacion all added 13 but the Kings still failed to stifle the Aces from winning a second straight time.
Miller’s total matched his career-high and it marked the third time in four games that he has scored 30 or more. He tossed in 33 in the first game and 35 in the second — all Alaska losses, before being held to just 11 when the Aces broke through against Coca-Cola last Friday.
Celino Cruz scored a career-high 20 points in the first game and helped Red Bull to a 95-84 demolition of the Air21 Express.
The 5-foot-9 Cruz, a former Far Eastern hotshot in the UAAP, scored 15 of his total in the third period when the Bulls took control and Red Bull never looked back from there to win for the second straight night.
Air21, despite getting 27 points from Nino Canaleta built around seven conversions from beyond three-point distance, lost for the second time in three games. Air21 was also held below 100 points for the first time in the tournament.
Four other Bulls, led by Junthy Valenzuela’s 17 and Cyrus Baguio’s 16, scored at least 11 as Red Bull has not shown any sign of missing its erstwhile stars — Lordy Tugade, Larry Fonacier and Enrico Villanueva — so far.
“For us to hold the best offensive team in the league below their average is a good sign of how well we play defense,” said Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao, back to calling the shots after being suspended a game for charging at technical officials Friday last week.
Air21 came into the game averaging 107 points a contest, but the Express couldn’t get another player after sophomore Arwind Santos’ 18, to score more than nine.
Doug Kramer, the rookie bruiser out of Ateneo, chipped in with nine points, and Ranidel De Ocampo scattered eight.
JC Intal, the fourth overall choice in the Draft who was seen as the best scorer in the crop of rookies in that pool, struggled to post just two points, still to unveil the arsenal of offensive moves that gave him a huge following as an amateur.
